The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-03-17
YOUNG ABBOTr's $1,000 MEAL.
The Government VIII Not Restore the
Bond He Ate Up.

The Government VIII Not Restore the
Bond He Ate Up.
The case of Joseph Abbott, the
Chicagoan, who swallowed a $1,000
bond and made application to the
government for the issue of dupli-
cate, presents some interesting feat
ures aside from the details given in
the Washington dispatches. 1t is a
matter of history that men have
swallowed articles of great value IN
order to save them, but diamonds
and state dispatches were usually
the materials of the repast IN
question. 1t is also told that
an old farmer, upon visiting the
CITY, put his s'wad" Of greenbacks
in his tobacco box for safe keeping,
and in a fit of abstraction nasticated
agoodly roll Of currency, remarklng
at the time that it was pretty durn
poor terbacker." A few years ago
a cash boy in Gossage's dry goods
store laid hands on ten dollar bill,
and to avoid detection chewed and
swallowed it. He afterwards con-
fessed, and as the unusual diet made
him pretty sick the firm let him of
without further punishment. Young
bloods about town have been known
to light a cigar with FIVE dollar bill;
but a $1,000 meal like Abbott's is
not in the ordinary run.
Moses J. Wentworth is Abbotts
attorney, and the. story he tells is
that Abbott is about twenty-five
years OF age, and up to August 26,
1888, was the courtroom boy at the
Clifton house. He had been in the
employ OF that house lort"el'e years.
and had saved every cent of his wages
until he had laid by $1,000. This
amount he had invested in United
States bonds, and he kept them Sc
creted in the coat room Of the hotel,
where he worked days and slept
nights. The boy made his savings
the one idea of his life. and gradually
worked himself into state Of mind
bordering or insanity, so great were
his fears of being robbed. In fact,
for some time before the date in
question his employers noticed that
he was somewhat "off," but as be at
tended faithfully to his duties but
little attention was paid to his beha-
yior. About midnight somebody
wanted to get into the coat room AID
pounded on the door. Abbott was
awakened suddenly from sound
sleep, and supposing that burglars
were after his treasures, went raving
crazy. He shrieked for help and
made a great noise, but would allow
no one to enter the room. It became
necessary to call the police, and Ab-
bot was carried off violently insane.
lie was tried, pronounced insane,
and taken to the Kankakee asylum.
After ten months he was pronounced
cured aad discharged. He came to
Chicago, and the 5000 in bonds which
had been found in the coat-room
were restored 10 him. He then told
Mr.. Woodcock, the proprietor, that
he had swallowed 81 900 bond the
night in question in his paroxism Of
fear, and showed him tally on the
wall where he kept a record of his
bonds. Other corroborative evidence
convinced Nr. Woodcock that the
boys story was true, and he. had so
much confidence in his honesty and
truthfulness that among the docu-
ments sent on to Washington was an
affidavit by Mr.. Woodcock declaring
his belief in the truth of the state
ment, and offering to sign an indem-
nifty bond to the government. The
government officials were seemingly
convinced Of the entire truthfulness
Of the story, but construed the law
to cover only accidental destruction
of bonds, whereas in this case the
destruction was INTENTIONAL Chicago
Tribune.